And the World Trembled Chapter One

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, New Mutant's Wing

He stood there, watching it as if at any moment it would attack. It wouldn't. He knew that. There was no such thing as mutant telephones.

Julio edged into his bedroom and sat on the chair by the door. He kept staring at the phone. The paper in his pocket seemed to grow heavier with every passing minute. He didn't know why he'd gotten the number. This was stupid. Foolish. She didn't want him. It had been three years. Three years, and no word from her.

Mexico

"Maaaamaaaaa," he whined, following her around the small apartment. "I don't want to go see Maria. She picks on me."

His mother continued packing his bag, unflustered by his complaints. "Well, then, Julio, you need to stand up for yourself." She turned, nearly ran into him, and smiled, tapping his chin. "You need to be strong."

He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. He wasn't strong. All the other boys in the school had had their growth spurts already, and he still hadn't had his. The girls all were sprouting breasts and none of them would even talk to him because he was still so small. It all made it even easier for Maria to pick on him. "I hate her!"

His mother gave him a stern look, and he subsided. "Don't say that. She's your cousin."

Julio flopped down onto the couch and glared at the blank television. It had stopped working two weeks ago, but they hadn't had the money to get it repaired. "She thinks she's so much better than me 'cause she's got money," he muttered.

Maria and her parents, Uncle Miguel and Aunt Maria, lived in huge house just outside one of the beachy tourist spots. He should have lived in there. If his father hadn't died three years ago, leaving Miguel as the head of the family and the man who now ran the business (which had always been fuzzy to Julio) he would have been there. And Maria would have lived in this dump, scraping out enough money for rent and living off family charity. Ha. That would of shown her.

"Who will help you around the house if I'm gone?" he asked, though he knew this tack wouldn't work.

His mother only laughed. "I think you have enough siblings to help me, Julioito."

"Mama..." he said in protest to the childish name.

He mother stopped moving around and knelt in front of him, smiling. "Julio, I know you don't like to go see Maria. I know she teases you because you haven't grown up yet." He looked down, embarrassed. His mother's callused hand caught his chin and tugged up. "I know you'd rather stay here and do anything but visit Maria. But someday, you're going to be old enough to help in the family business. And when that day comes, I don't want your uncle Miguel to forget about you simply because he hasn't seen you."

Julio looked at her forlornly.

His mother smiled and leaned forward, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Aw, Mama," he said again, pulling away but managing to keep from wiping at his skin. "That's embarrassing."

She stood, zipping up his backpack and wiping her hands off on her skirt, something she did even when her hands weren't dirty. "Now, then, I want you--" There was a knock at the door, and a moment later it swung wide. His uncle Miguel stood there, filling the doorframe, a cigarette stuck between his teeth. "Ana! So good to see you! You are the picture of radiance!"

Julio sighed heavily and looked away as they hugged.

"And Julio! You've grown!"

He eyed Miguel. "No I haven't."

"Julio," his mother hissed at him. He ignored her.

"You're thinking of Fernando." One of his brothers. Who had grown. The traitor.

Miguel's smile faded as he thought. "Ah. So I am." Then the smile returned, and he gestured with one arm. "Up! Up! Quickly! Your cousin Maria is anxious to see you!"

Julio dragged himself to his feet, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and followed Miguel out, shuffling the whole way. His mother caught him in the doorway, pulling him back for a quick hug. "Behave," she whispered, then kissed his cheek hard. He grumbled and wiped it away.

**

"Julio?"

He scooted himself farther back against the wooden house--some sort of garage--doing his best to hide amongst the empty boxes and crates.

"Julio!"

No way was he coming out for Maria. Maria and her harpy friends. They'd tried to put make-up on him. "You'd make such a lovely girl!" one of them had giggled.

He was just going to stay right where he was. If they couldn't find him, they couldn't do anything. If they did find him, it was either go along with the make-up thing and the next guy he saw would beat him up, or try and get out of it and the girls would beat him up.

He hated Maria.

"Julio! Come on! We won't put make-up on you!" They were close enough that he could hear one of them giggle.

"Maria!" Salvation. His Aunt Maria would make them go inside, and then he could hide in peace. There was a rapid conversation he couldn't quite make out, then the pack of girls went trampling into the house. Julio breathed a long sigh of relief. He counted to three hundred before he moved, wary of a trap. It wouldn't be the first time Maria had done something like that.

Slowly, Julio poked his head out from between the crates. No sign of the girls. He slunk out, sticking to the shadows in case they were watching for him. Then he moved around toward the back of the building, out of sight, and relaxed.

They lived on a lot of land, most of it forested. Desert forest, which meant some cottonwoods, an oak or two in the whole thing, pine trees and a lot of scrub. He picked up a stick and smacked it against bushes as he passed them, always within a few feet of the big building. He stopped at a window, dropping his stick and wandering close. Cupping his hands to frame his face, he peered inside.

More boxes and crates.

The door of the house banged open again.

"Julio!"

Crap. Maria. He looked around for a hiding spot, didn't see one, and planted both hands on the glass. He pushed up as hard as he could.

The window opened.

He was small, but that didn't mean he was weak. Julio managed to pull himself in, wriggling to get through the hole. He dove face first into the garage, then scrambled to his feet to close the window before Maria came around the back and saw it open.

"Julio! Come out here!"

Yeah, right. He inched away, able to make out shapes in the dark but not much more.

"Daddy has business friends coming! Mama wants us to come inside!"

Suuuuuure he did. Julio ducked behind a box, wedging himself between it and an even larger one, and waited.

After a few minutes, Maria left.

Julio crawled out of his hiding place. He fumbled around in the dark, grateful when his eyes finally adjusted.

Just a lot of boxes. Shelves, holding more boxes. A long table, empty and surprisingly clean, considering the cobwebs everywhere else.

Outside, he heard voices. Julio scurried back into his hiding place just as the garage door opened. He knew Miguel's voice, but the others were a mystery.

"--need something that can't be traced."

"My friend, that's everything I have! Nothing I sell is traceable."

Julio poked his head out, watching but trying not to draw attention to himself.

Miguel opened a box--the lid came up easily--and pulled out--

Julio's eyes widened, and he stopped hearing whatever they were talking about. A gun. Miguel was holding a gun. A big one. Julio looked at the other man, didn't recognize him, and looked back at the dull black metal of the weapon. Miguel had laid it out on the table, was disassembling it, pointing out things. Then he reassembled it, quickly, efficiently, like he'd done it hundreds of times before. He lifted it, sighted toward the back of the garage, and fired.

Julio ducked behind his box, covering his ringing ears. Distantly, he could hear voices again. He kept his eyes closed. More metal clacking together, then another gunshot. It went on for what seemed like forever before they left, shutting off the light as they went.

Slowly, Julio uncovered his ears. The garage was silent. The darkness pressed in on him, as though it were alive and angry. He couldn't stay here.

Julio lunged to his feet, tripped over a box and yelping, jerking away from it. They held guns. All these boxes, holding guns and weapons and--

and this was the family business? No. No, his mother wouldn't let him do something like this. He had to go home. He had to tell her, and then he would never come back here--

He slammed through the door, running back into the forest. He couldn't go back into the house. Someone would find him and ask what was wrong, and how was he supposed to explain? Did Aunt Maria know? What about little Maria? His oldest brother, Oscar? No, not Oscar. Surely not.

He cut through the trees, fighting his way through underbrush. He ran for another fifteen minutes before he had to drop down to a walk. It didn't matter. It would be fine. He would get home, and everything would be fine.

X-Factor Headquarters

"Julio?"

He jumped, pulling his shirt on and turning away from the mirror. "Si?"

Bobby's head poked around the door. He was smiling, but then, Julio had learned that Bobby was pretty much always smiling. He hadn't learned yet how to gauge the man's mood from his smile, but he would.

"I thought you might want to call home."

His heart thundered. "Oh." He was shaking, just like that.

"Are you okay?"

He took a step away when Bobby took a step into the room. He knew Bobby wouldn't hurt him. Bobby had helped save him. But still, some things were hard to unlearn. "Si. Bien. Fine."

Bobby hesitated, then nodded. "There's a phone in my room you can use, if you want some privacy. I'll be out for the day."

Julio nodded. "Gracias," he said after a minute. "I'll do that."

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